West Ham United manager David Moyes has heaped praise on Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ahead of their Premier League encounter at the London Stadium on Sunday.
Arteta played under Moyes for six-and-a-half years between 2005 and 2011 during his time at Everton, before spending the final five years of his playing career at Arsenal.
Just over three years after leaving the Gunners, Arteta returned to the Emirates Stadium to become the club's new manager in December 2019 and has experienced plenty of highs and lows during his first managerial stint.
The Spaniard was criticised by some quarters of the Arsenal fanbase during the early stages of his tenure, but he has since transformed the Gunners into genuine Premier League title contenders this season.
Indeed, Arsenal find themselves in a strong position to win their first top-flight title for nearly two decades as they sit top of the table and six points clear of reigning champions Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
Moyes has lauded the job that Arteta is doing in the Arsenal dugout and is expecting a difficult match against the league leaders at the London Stadium on Sunday.
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"I am very impressed [with the job Arteta has done]," Moyes said at a press conference on Friday. "They have had a couple of good young players in the system which helped but he has done a really good job to get them close to being a champion in the Premier League.
"To be challenging is a huge thing. I think if anybody said that Arsenal would be a Champions League team [this season], you would have said that is a great achievement.
"But to take the next step and actually be challenging to win it is an incredible level to get to. They are going away and playing well at a lot of big clubs, so we know we are in for a tough game."
Moyes added: "Mikel has built a really good team. I remember that he was getting a lot of criticism last year, but I think he has always felt he had a good team. And they would get better.
"There is no doubt they are going to be better than [fifth] this year, so great credit to Mikel and his team. They have done a good job there.
"I think Mikel was always someone who had his own thoughts [on the game]. He was a good player and great for me as a player at Everton and helped us move up the league and move the club up as a football club. So, I will always be grateful for how well he did at Everton."
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Moyes believes that Arteta has benefitted as a manager after working for just over three years as an assistant coach under Man City boss Pep Guardiola.
"I think Arteta has had a great education with Pep Guardiola," said Moyes. "He has been able to work under one of if not the best managers in the world. And he'll have seen a lot of things but also have his own thoughts. He has been able to put over his own playing style that he wants in his own team."
While Arteta has received plenty of plaudits for the work he has achieved this season, Moyes have come under intense scrutiny as his West Ham side have endured a frustrating campaign at the wrong end of the Premier League table.
The Hammers are one of nine teams embroiled in a hotly-contested relegation dogfight and currently sit 14th in the standings, just three points above the bottom three.
West Ham, who lost 5-1 to Newcastle United in their last home match, will have to cope without striker Gianluca Scamacca, with Moyes confirming that the Italian will undergone knee surgery this weekend.
Michail Antonio and Danny Ings will therefore push to start in attack for the Hammers, who could climb to as high as 12th in the table with a win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
